Vendetta
by Lilly900
Summary: When Hermione Granger, Gryffindor girl nr. 1, and Pansy Parkinson, Queen of Slytherin, plot together, only one man can be the reason...
1. A surprising visit

Vendetta  
  
A/N: Ok, fellas this is my first fic with an actual plot. Please note that I´m not a native englishspeaker, so please excuse typos or expressions that are unusual and tell me about them in your reviews, so I can remove the errors. I´ll also use english and american expressions alike, cause I don´t really know the difference, so it may sometimes seem a bit odd. Flame me if you want to, I won´t care anyway. If you like it please review!!!!!!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don´t own anyhing but the plot!! Don´t sue me, I have no money to give you and I get none out of this. This is purley for amusment , it´s just one of the many free pleasures in live!!!  
  
Surprise was the expression on Hermione´s face, as she opened the door of her -small but cozy- appartment. For the person standing on the other side of the door was infamous Pansy Parkinson, Queen of Slytherin herself and the next producer of heirs to the equally infamous Malfoy clan. In short she had already fullfilled her greatest dreams by becoming Draco´s fiancee.  
  
Hermione had not thought that she, as a lowly born mudblood with however much magical ability and fame, would ever again enjoy a conversation with one of the most pure blooded (and by her behaviour probably inbred) witches. She noticed her thoughts and immediatly identified them as bitter and fed up with racism and bloodism, life at university had already left traces in Hermione Granger. School had finnished almost two years ago, but Hermione nevertheless was glad she hadn´t met more former members of the Slytherin house at Spellcraft University, not surprising since most of them already were married and had some job at their familie`s companies or in the Ministry. Spellcraft truly was an eliterian university just a few miles out of London, without very good grades or very rich parents there was no chance to attend here.  
  
"What do you want here, Pansy?" voiced Hermione her surprise, while she looked at her ex-schoolmate very closely. Pansy had become exactly what was supposed of her, a sophisticated, snobbish "lady of society". The change came as a surprise, since Hermione had always thought of Pansy as very very ugly and very very dumb, but in truth she had been a child back then, trying to see her enemies as bad as possible. Pansy´s blonde hair was flowing to her shoulders, without any curl or wave, sleek and shiny, while her face bore no sign of visible make up. So she had given up on ridiculous pink lipstick and horrifying green eye shadow up to her eyebrows. She was wearing a very stylish, dark green dress, that reminded Hermione slightly of the more common wizarding robes, though much more fitting and revealing. A bit slutty even, she added as a nasty afterthought.  
  
"Will you let me in? I need to talk to you in private and this" she gestured at the doorway as if it was the most dirty and run down place in the whole wide world, "is not the place for it." How had she managed to get the famous Malfoy drawl in such a short time? Hermione raised an eyebrow ( she had worked hard to get the expression right and it seemed an appropriate answer to her visitors attitude) and then opened the door for the other women with a sigh.  
  
Hermione led her in a small kitchen and motioned her to take a seat at an equally small table. Pansy calmly seated herself, although she looked like wanting to ask if Hermione had ever considered burning the interior of her flat. She searched her small, trendy and of course matching handbag for an unknown object. For an instant Hermione tensed, she hadn´t contemplated Pansy attacking her, but Mrs. Malfoy to be produced cigaretts and the wizard equivalent of a lighter.  
  
"You don´t mind if I smoke, do you?" she asked as she lit a cigarette. Not that anything like smoke could heighten the uglyness of this place, the raised eyebrow seemed to add ( she learned that skill much earlier than Hermione) .  
  
Her hostess just shrugged, her shock was replaced by courisity, and she didn´t want to start an argument with her unusual guest in the very first minute of their encounter.  
  
"May I offer you a drink, Pansy?" remembered Hermione her duty to the "Grand-Dame-to-be-of society". "Oh yes, a glass of Beauxbaton Chardonay would be most comforting." accepted Pansy her offer graciously.  
  
"You seeking comfort in alcohol and cigarettes? What happend to good old mudblood bashing? After all it´s not even midafternoon. And I´m very sorry I don´t have Chardonay. All I can offer you is either a Tequila or a glass of wine." Hermione spontaneously tossed her good intentions aside.  
  
"Then I´ll have a glass of wine, thank you. Oh, and everything loses attraction over time, I´m not an eleven year old anymore. Besides once you hear my story you´ll be surprised I only drink and don´t try the illegal type of potion."  
  
Hermione had already heard of wizarding drugs, some people were doing them on the campus and their effect was as devastating as the one muggle drugs caused. But they were easier to come by, since you only needed to brew them for yourself and the ingredients were mostly legal.  
  
But what had happend to Pansy? Espescially in her new role it didn´t seem appropriate for her to go beyond a mere glass of champane with her guests and a cigarette for the effect.  
  
"What makes you think I´m interested in your story? Do I look like Rita tell-me-the-most-embarrassing-and- secret-details-of-your-sexlife-with-the- Boy-Who-Turned-His-Back-On-The-Dark-Side Skeeter?" Hermione asked hiding her couriosity well behind her oh so cutting sarcasm.  
  
"Wow, Granger, have you developed a backbone over the years? I didn´t think you would give me the rough side of your tongue without The-Boy-Who- Defeated-You-Know-Who-and-Fucked-Every-Witch-This-Side-of-The-Ocean and The- Boy-Who-Made-A-Fortune-As-A-Producer-Of-Quidditch-Merchandise-And-Partner- In-The-Most-Succesful-Jokeproducing-Company-And-Equally-A-Manwhore?"  
  
"You know that neither of your descriptions are exactly insulting? In fact they are rather the opposite."  
  
"I´m well aware of the fact, but thank you for stating the obvious. But I appreciate your effort to make me understand life better very much." replied Pansy nonchalantly. "But do you really think me so rude to offend my gracious hostess for no apparent reason?"  
  
"Well you actually doubted the existence of my backbone and called one of my best friends a manwhore, but I will ignore your lack of manners for now." "Listen, I´m in no mood for verbal exchanges or sarcasm that does not touch me in any way that would hurt, so spare me the torture of staying longer in this horrible little cave you call flat"  
  
Hermione´s face darkened as she heard the words and she was considering several hexes, that would make Pansy look like she had remarkable resemblance to a pug as Pansy spoke on:  
  
"I´m here because I need your help"  
  
A/N: What do you think? Review please! 


	2. Fate of a woman

_ _ _ _ _ _ Vendetta  
  
_ _ _ _ _ Chapter 2: Fate of a woman  
  
This chaper is dedicated to Verena, a good friend who helps me with feeling less like a freak. It´s better to do weird things together and I thank you for that.  
  
A/N: Thanks for those reviews. They mean alot to me and I am thankful you took the time. Croaker: Thank you, but I already got a beta-reader. (always wanted to communicate with readers this way, it looks so cool.)  
  
__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
"Hermione, I need your help"  
  
Hermione was once again surprised, she seemed to make a habit out of that. She had known that Pansy came for a special reason, but this was, well, surprising.  
  
She eyed the other woman couriously, suspecting her to shout any second:"BOO! WHY ON EARTH SHOULD I ASK A MUDBLOOD LIKE YOU FOR HELP?"  
  
But nothing came, Pansy was just lighting another ciggarette. So Hermione started weakly: " My help? What for? In what way can I possibly help you?"  
  
"Well, you didn´t get all Os in your Newts for nothing. You are the mastermind I need. You´ll be the nemesis of Draco Malfoy"  
  
Hermione hadn´t thought about that, in fact her new habit (surprise) was paralyzing her appraised brains and famed mind pretty well. "How?" was all she could bring out.  
  
"I need you to take revenge. He´s made me suffer more than anyone else ever had, he´s nearly ruined my life. That man took my heart, ripped it out of my chest, tore it slowly into a thousand pieces and trampled it. I cannot even begin to describe the depth of my hate."  
  
Hermione shrank back as she caught the expression on Pansy´s face, combined with the bitterness and hate in her voice it was the picture of a broken woman. Her eyes held a hard expression and her lips were tightened from the held back emotions. The facade of the self confident, serene woman was gone, the mask had fallen.  
  
What had Malfoy done to her?  
  
She voiced her question aloud. Pansy inhaled the smoke deeply, then started to speak with an emotionless voice:  
  
"I´ll go back to the very beginning, you have to hear it all to understand. In Hogwarts me and Draco went out together, because our parents had made clear they strongly approved of such an alliance. In the beginnging I thought that Draco was the ideal partner for me, you know being pure- blooded, rich and Seeker."  
  
Well, thought Hermione, that was not exactly her idea of her prince charming, she fancied the dark and brooding type, but she held her silence as Pansy continued.  
  
"He was so nice and caring, trying to overcome the akwardness our parent´s matchmaking had caused. In no time I was head over heels in love with him."  
  
Hermione somehow couldn´t get rid off the impression that Pansy did read too many sappy love novels.  
  
"So you did love him, then?"  
  
"Yes, I did. You know this had all happened in our fourth year, I was young and he was my first love. But it wasn´t only that, you know, those years were the happiest of my life."  
  
Damn, she was only nineteen and talked as if she was a granny talking to her grandchildren. Did she really think her problems with Malfoy were the end of her world. How pathethic, really. Hermione would never give herself up for a man, especially one like Malfoy.  
  
"Then the war started". She stopped lost in her thoughts. Hermione took the opportunity to lose herself in her own (she was a good conversationalist).  
  
The war had changed the wizard world forever. Voldemort had lost no time over the sixth year and put up a global network of Deatheaters. He had wanted to take over the planet, and many lifes were sacrificed for that plan. Luckily most Hogwarts students survived, for the castle had not fallen, but the fronts were cleared. Deatheaters had themselves declared openly for Voldemort, they had been that sure of his success.  
  
Some students, especially of Slytherin and Rawenclaw, had left the castle to fight with the Deatheaters, others joined the battle on the other side. It would have been a slaughter if not for Harry, who managed to defeat Voldemort in the night before the battle. The plan to reach him had been more than risky or merely dangerous, russian roulette was safe against it. But it had worked out, also because Draco Malfoy had contributed all his insiderknowledge, when Snape´s spying was discovered.  
  
Herself and Ron went with Harry to protect him during the duel. She was ready to die that day.  
  
"Oh, yes we were all real heroes in that time." mumbled Pansy, then continued. "You know, it was the time during the war when I realized I could trust Draco with my life. He was the one who convinced me to hold up my rebellion against my parents, not to give in and join them. I didn´t want to kill and thanks to him I kept my innocence. We supported each other, not daring to leave Hogwarts for two full years. Without him I would have broken under the pressure, and he probably without me."  
  
Hermione had known that of course. Others had followed Malfoy´s and Pansy´s example, the resistance of the Deatheaters to be was now in every contemporary history book. She admired all of them for their courage, although some had paid a high price for it.  
  
"When Draco led our little rebellion I was the woman at his side, the one he could always trust and rely on. Our relationship had reached a new level at the end of the war. He was the love of my life and I knew it. Moreover he proposed to me near the end. The seventh year was long over, but we had to take our Newts, since they were delayed nearly a year by the war."  
  
"I know, I was there" commented Hermione dryly. "If I hadn´t learned what real fear is, I would have freaked out because we had had no time to prepare ourselves."  
  
"Oh yeah, that was always your greatest concern, wasn´t it? Anyway Draco and me planned to marry right after that, but since his parents were arrested he had to take over Mafoy Investment. We agreed that we would wait a year, since then I could take over Parkinson Incorporated and give it to him. He of course had to study Economy at Spellcraft, since he didn´t trust his management entirely"  
  
Another consecquence of the war had been a change of generations. Since many of the older generation were killed, the young adults had to take over. Malfoy was not the only one facing the leadership of the family business, trying to safe and rebuild what had been left or to start anew.  
  
"So we moved together to Malfoy Mansion and that´s were the Malfoy genes started to come through. When I was at home refurnishing the manor, trying to erase the memories of the not so friendly former occupants and changing it into a place where one could live not just spend one´s time, he was busy. Always busy."  
  
Pansy´s voice sounded strangled with regrett, Hermione was touched by her openness. Never had anyone confided in her like that, normally she had to pry secrets out of people. Her sharp wits and amazing power of observation had helped of course, but it was nice to be told something voluntarily for a change. Even if this was Pansy.  
  
"What went wrong?" Hermione tried to sound concerned, as not to interrupt Pansy´s constant flow of words.  
  
"I truly don´t know, in the beginning I thought I was too plain for his new role. So I did anything to transform myself in a true society queen, I began spending more time on my looks than on my cooking for him, just to please him."  
  
Hermione could see now where this would lead, the woman had abandoned her life for Malfoy. God, had emancipation never taken place among those pure blooded inbreeders?  
  
"But he just drifted more and more apart from me, there was nothing I could do to break through his coldness. The boy I knew was gone, he was replaced by a cold and serious businessman. I just couldn´t adapt anymore, everything I did brought us apart even more."  
  
Obviosly not, answered Hermione her question silently.  
  
"I had been the obeying housewife to the bone, always focusing on whether Draco liked the things I did and wore or not. But I put up with him treating me badly, I loved him I had no other choice."  
  
Once again Hermione surpressed the urge to shake the other woman hard and long until all those wrong and twisted ideas were out of her head. She repeated her mantra about violence not being the solution to everything, when Pansy slammed her hand on the table violently.  
  
"That goddamn son of a bitch, he never cared how I coped with my new life, that I contemplated suicide, because he hadn´t touched me for over a month. No, he was busy, and then I found out how busy he had been.  
  
He cheated on me, nearly every night. Always another girl, always another place. Sometimes it had been a professor at Spellcraft or a business partner, that had helped him alot of course. The manwhore slept with everything that was female, but he never wasted a thought on me!"  
  
Pansy´s lip quivered, tears of rage and anger flowed down her cheeks. Hermione did not know wether she should offer her a handkerchief or a sandbag, but she was glad to see Pansy´s spirit return. Maybe she should stick a picture of Malfoy on it, that would surely help her.  
  
"Need that, Pansy?" she asked, offering the other woman the handkerchief. It just seemed more appropriate, but next time it would be the bag.  
  
"Thank you, I always get so angry when I think about it. You could think that was all, but no, he had had more in store for me. Our marriage was drawing nearer, we planned it for may, when I became nineteen. One day, I was just looking for the wedding dress he sent me an owl. I have it here, so you can see for yourself"  
  
She handed Hermione the letter, she took it and began to read:  
  
Dearest Pansy,  
  
As you may have noticed our relationship does not work out very well anymore. I am very sorry it had to came this way, but I can´t marry you under that circumstances. I hereby break our engagement and ask you to stop any preparations for the marriage. Regarding ParkIncorp I have to tell you that in less than a year the company will go bankrupt. Malfoy Investment is not willing to invest any further money into your company, but I hope dearly others will. This of course implies that Malfoy Investment has stopped any negotiations about the planned fusion.  
  
I expect you to move out of the mansion as soon as possible, you will recieve an allowance for your live costs for half a year.  
  
Yours sincerly your exfiancé Draco Malfoy  
  
"He did not do that. " she exclaimed shocked. This was the coldest, most heartless and hardest break ups she had ever heard of and being single and in university she did hear of a good many tings.  
  
Pansy laughed, not a pleasent laugh, and broke anew into tears. "The bastard threw me out of the mansion before I could blink. Do you know what it´s like to be heartbroken, poor and homeless?"  
  
"The company is bankrupt already?" asked Hermione, it was the only thing she could think of. Pansy had to rely onto something and her clothes didn´t look like she was a beggar.  
  
"No, not yet. The managers say we could continue at least three or four months, but in that time we would need new investors. It´s just too much for me. First I have to take revenge. I want to see him bleed, just like I did. Do you know that in the course of three months I took on 30 pounds and lost them again? I was so close to either develop an eating disorder or to become an alcoholic, the only thing that held me up was the thought of revenge. He´ll suffer just the way I did, more than I did and you are just the one I need."  
  
"Me? Yeah, I know my brains and all that stuff, but there are other smart people out there. People you could trust more than me, we were enemies at school." This was really a bizarre situation and she wanted to know what exactly Pansy was trying to pull her in.  
  
"You are perfect. First you are muggle-born. He does not like them, Voldemort down or not. Second he hates you for Potter. Wonder boy stole him the show since his very first day in Hogwarts and Draco is a little Drama Queen. He loves the spotlight, but you were better than him in school, so he couldn´t even get this. Third you are pretty enough for my plans."  
  
"No need to flatter me, I have done well without such compliments, they´ll have no influence on my decision." Did Pansy really doubt her social capability so much, if she thought she could manipulate her so easily. Damn, that was not a good sign, being underestimated by Pansy. No wonder people in University didn´t take her serious. But that was another matter.  
  
"You do not understand me, I need you for a very special plan." she said with a suggestive raised eyebrow. Oh my god, what is she aiming at, thought Hermione furiously. She had gotten in quite a few aquward situations when going out in London, some of them had had Ginny laughing for days. Hermione slowly backed away from the blonde, she didn´t believed she wanted to get involved into that sort of plan. Though Ron would surly approve.  
  
"Ahem, what do you mean?" "Well, it´s as easy as that: You seduce Draco, making him love you and then you ruin him emotionally and financianally. Don´t worry about your appearance, we´ll do a nice littly make over and the payment will be superb."  
  
Ok, Pansy did read too many sappy books, with a very very bad plot. Or had she recently discovered the joys of cable tv? Even soap operah writers were more original, after they used that kind of plot over a thousand times in various adaptions. Remarkable was also it almost never worked out. The victim and the executer always fell in love then there was a really dumb misunderstanding that stretched the plot for weeks and then somebody either married or got killed. She wanted no part in that, although thinking on it death was a nice alternative to Malfoy. She was about to tell Pansy exactly that, when her newly charmed cellphone rang.  
  
"Mione? It´s me, how are you? I was wondering if you could come to my little party tomorrow night, everyone we´ll be there. Please ?" Ron, of course. No one was speaking so rapidly on the mobile, he always had three calls at once and he spoke with a speed that made sure he got all three. He was a true businessman now, she thought proudly.  
  
"I´m fine, Ron, thank you" she answered slowly. Just because he was stressed out it didn´t mean she had to play along.  
  
"Listen I see what I can do, I have got tests coming up" "But you always do. I know it´s not easy there, but that doesn´t mean you have to abandon social life for the iditots." "How little is that party of yours exactly?" she asked suspiciosly. "Oh, just a dinner party with a few business partners and their companions. About 300 people I´d say." "RONALD WEASLEY, you know I hate it when you do that" she screeched into the cell phone.  
  
"I have nothing to wear to such occasions, and you know that very well." "Does that mean your´e coming?" he asked hopefully "Buy something nice, you earned enough over the last holidays, if you haven´t spent it all on books already. See you tomorrow at eight o´clock at my penthouse in the inner city. Harry will come also and he´s really anxious to see you. Bye"  
  
With that he hung up, leaving a somewhat indignated Hermione. "So the inseparable trio is still together?" "We´re inseparable, as you just pointed out." answered Hermione with a smile. They had been through worse than separate working and living places, a petty reason like this would never come between them. Though her friend´s lovers threw jealousy tantrums constantly, but they weren´t here to stay anyway.  
  
"Will you do it?" she changed the topic apruptly.  
  
"Pansy your plan is crap. He knows who I am, he would never fall for that. He may be mean, cold, heartless but he is not stupid. Can you imagine how suspicious he would be if I tried anything? Besides I have no intention to get involved with ferret boy, much less sleep with him. Urgh, the mere thought is disgusting."  
  
" As much as I hate to admit it, he does look good. But I don´t have another plan, other than breaking his pale little neck. But as he is much more stronger and I don´t plan on joining his parents in Azkaban, this is out of the question."  
  
Hermione felt pity for the other woman and frantically thought of a way to help her. And because she wasn´t a smartass for nothing she began:  
  
"Ok, Pansy, I´ll help you. But not in the way you want me to. I won´t go near Malfoy, or hurt him in any other way. I know he made my life at school harder and I hated him back then. He does not have so much power over me nowadays. I rarly see him and the occasional exchange of insults is more a Hogwarts revival than hurting.  
  
But you are driven by the thought, and you have to direct your anger into something useful." She silently thanked all the supporting books that Ginny read, they were good for something. Pansy looked doubtful, so Hermione launched a full You-are-worth-someting- and-can-do-anything-without-him speech (she was very good at those, a year of being in college-dating hell had helped her)  
  
"Listen Pansy, you let Malfoy control your thoughts too much. He has now as much power over you than then, because your hate is so intense. Don´t let him, he doesn´t deserve it. You have to concentrate on other things, like gaining a life of your own and you don´t need him. You are a beautiful, intelligent woman and he is not worthy of you.  
  
And I know exactly on what you will set your mind. You want revenge? You´ll get it. Later. Wait. Let him forget. And then strike out!  
  
How?  
  
ParkIncorp!"  
  
"But it is nearly bankrupt, and I know nothing about business."  
  
"Nothing? Are you sure? Did you never help Malfoy with his studies, were you told nothing about Malfoy Investment?"  
  
"Come to think of it, I did. I was even a bit interested, it was very lonely at the mansion. I began to read his textbooks for fun."  
  
"I know that feeling. You see you are more than qualified to save your family´s company. And you have something as important: You know your enemy. There won´t be many people that will know better about the secrets of Mafoy Investment than you. Believe me."  
  
"But I have no money. All the investors are gone and the Parkinson fortune is non existant. And I can´t see finding new ones."  
  
"That´s were I come in. I´ll do you a favour. But you owe me Pansy, never forget that. You owe me."  
  
Pansy laughed out. Hermione raised again an eyebrow, but Pansy was so shooken by fits of hysterical laughter, she never saw the expression on Hermione´s face.  
  
"You will lend me money? Look at you, you can´t even aford a decent flat, much less financing a huge company. Really, the visit was worth the amusement."  
  
"Better. I won´t give you money, but contacts. Important contacts to be exact. I´ll give you a meeting with Ronald Weasley."  
  
Pansy choked. Weasley had a reputation in the business world for never losing even a knut at investments. Where he led others would follow. Hermione knew that of course and she allowed herself a few little dreams of the favours Pansy would do her. (Get your mind out of the gutter, will ya? Thanks)  
  
"You would do that? Would he give me a chance? Although he disliked me all my life?"  
  
"Be well prepared. Ron is a hard bargainer and he´ll rip you into pieces before you even begin to present your concept, if you´re not knowing what and how you want it. I would start with the management if I were you. You have to trust your crew, before you do business with Ronald Weasley and I suspect some managers may not be entirely trustable."  
  
"Hermione Granger you´re a genious. I see your plan and am entirely convinced of it. Malfoy will bleed and I will become the head of one of the best companies ever."  
  
To Hermione´s surprise Pansy didn´t doubt her plan anymore. A feverish light shone in Pansy´s eyes as she stood up and declared: "I thank you. I owe you my life. Let me know when you need something. And now excuse me please, I have to take lead at my company. Malfoy will regrett the day he was born once I´m finnished."  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
A/N: Plot thickens, finally. Took long enough, didn´t it? Ok, the usual procedure: Criticism, praise or suggestions are feeling very good, if they are inside the review-thingy. So go ahead and help ´em! They´ll appreciate it ! 


	3. Old friends

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Vendetta Chapter 3  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Old friends  
  
A/N: Sorry that it took me so long, had a math test and school is really shitty now. Alright this is not a useless fill in chapter to conceal the lack of plot. Believe me! Thanks to all reviewers I love you all! Reread OOPh and I love it! Go anarchism, go the revulution! This is how you really should react when a regime takes over and deprives you from your rights. Damn if only Fred and George were real and could give me their inventions once. Ahhh the possibilties..... But on with the story, right? Right.  
  
As soon as Pansy had left Hermione called up Parvati and Lavender, who had a little but successful designer label in London named Paravender, and no the name did not hinder their business. They still tried Sibyll Trelawney´s way of fortune telling, a habit that guaranteed a cup of tea everytime she went in there. And that she would soon meet her prince charming, who happened to look different every time. They also claimed they could successfully see the new trends for the upcoming season. Hermione was a bit surprised how well that worked out most of the time.  
  
"Lavender? Hello this is Hermione, I need you for a little styling session tomorrow. Are you too busy?"  
  
Most people wouldn´t have considered Hermione the type of woman that liked styling sessions. She would have agreed, but Ron´s dinner parties were famous throughout the city for being very snobbish. She had the connections, the money she earned over summer and the time, so there was absolutley no reason to look like the broke and bookish student she was most of the time. It was like Halloween, really.  
  
"Hermione, dear, how are you? Oh, I would just love to do that, it´s been quite a long time since our last one. There´s so much I have to tell you, everything changes so fast. Oh and did you know that last sunday the Weird Sisters were at our store? It was so exciting, we had to throw everyone out and close it just for them. They spent a fortune, I tell you. Oh, Parvati is just dying to speak to you, ´til tomorrow then, seeya sweetheart!"  
  
Hermione got along with them much better since they stopped sharing a dorm. She really looked forward to their meeting, since gossip was bearable for a few hours. Plus they gave her food for talk at the dinner party. They sometimes rivaled Rita Skeeter with their throughout knowledge about the rich and the bold.  
  
"Mione, didn´t think I´d hear of you again. You have to call us on a more frequent basis. So another session, huh? What´s the occasion?"  
  
"Dinnerparty at Ron´s "  
  
Parvati squealed. The woman just could not express her emotions in a proper way.  
  
"Ohh, lots and lots of rich, single businessmen. I have just the right dress for you, it is perfect. I think I even had you in mind when I designed it."  
  
Another advantage about having designers as friends was that you sometimes got the flattering honor of being a muse, thought Hermione with a smile. Life was great sometimes.  
  
"Parvati you know that I won´t dress up to get a man. I do it for myself so I spare me the shaming experience of being underdressed in a room full of preps who talk about your appearance for the rest of the night."  
  
That had been a very hard evening, she had come in the naive thought it would be some nice little party with 50 people at most, all in casual outfits. Boy, had she been wrong. But after a few shots of various crystal liquids, things hadn´t been quite as bad. Ron still made fun of her behaviour on that particular evening, but she didn´t care. So what, everyone could lose her wand in the mousse au chockolate and yes she had to use her hands to retrieve it. So what!  
  
"That was quite a trauma, wasn´t it? You´ll get over it one day. After all you have us on your side."  
  
"And I´m thankful for that, believe me. When have you time?"  
  
"All day long if need be. It´s our free day, before I portkey to Paris to promote our new collection. "  
  
"I assume that business is good then?" Hermione asked with a sigh. Successfull friends were great, but not if you stayed behind so much like she.  
  
"Business is good!" agreed Parvati. "Let´s say about 3 o´clock? We will have to do your hair to, since you avoid hair stylists like Slytherins. Bring your shoes, will you? Bye"  
  
"Bye Parvati and greet Padma and Sean if you see them."  
  
"I will, till tomorrow."  
  
With her styling problem solved and not in the mood for studying, Hermione called Fred Weasley for a pre-party drinking session. They had discovered that the best way to avoid a terrible hang-over was to drink the day before. The second time you grew cautious and were rather abstinent, never mind ant- hang over potions . And at Ron´s parties she didn´t want to be so aware of most people there anyway. Some still recognized her.  
  
Ron had called this measure extreme, but then he never reached Fred or her level of partying. They understood each other surprisingly good, once out of school and rules out of the way. Besides Fred just needed to take his mind of the Weasley Wizard Wheezes once in a while. Yet another successful friend, but he was down to earth and really cool.  
  
"Fred? It´s Mione, are you invited tomorrow at Ron´s?"  
  
"But of course, what do you think? Ickle-Ronniekens wouldn´t dare not to invite me, he wouldn´t survive it!"  
  
"So up for a pre-drinking session?" "I wanted to call you this right moment, sweetie. We meet in the Rebels´ Lounge at 9:30, right?"  
  
"That´s grand, see you." "Bye"  
  
Oh yes, guys were great for that, no I-have-five-other-meetings-next-week- maybe, just I come or I won´t. And drinking with them was also fun, because a) you sometimes got your drinks paid and b) they didn´t launch into a crying session once they were drunk and feeling loneley. So they repressed their feelings, Hermione didn´t care. She had too much to do with her own anyway.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~  
  
The Rebels´ Lounge was a good club for drinking. Not too loud music, no pop or techno, not too clean and the guests were not too picky either. You could pull quite a stunt here, before you recieved any attention at all. And none of the people they knew frequented it.  
  
As she entered the room she was greeted by a rather beaten up looking Fred Weasley. She noticed the deep black circles under his eyes and the crumpled state of his robes didn´t indicate him having a good time eithter.She commented on it lightly:  
  
"I see you have taken a time out. You look good, really. I´d probably consider a career as a businesswoman as well. It does be good for the teint."  
  
"Shut up, you have no idea of what I´ve gone through. Hours and hours of talks with Malfoy, but the bugger won´t give in. Claims that he´s the only one able to help us."  
  
"Oh, the man is a real pain in the ass. What are you wanting from him anyway?" Hermione seated herself across the redhead. Although the red contrasted in a strange way with his grayish skin colour.  
  
"We want to conquer the asian market, but we have no knowledge, strategy, contacts or the faintest idea how to do it, but he does. Damn it. I really don´t know why he behaves like this. I thought there had to be something like a good core."  
  
"The name Malfoy attached to the ferret face of his is quite selfexplanatory, don´t you think? There is no need for reasons to behave like a git for Malfoys, their inbreeding has made sure of that."  
  
"My, my, you have become quite bitter, haven´t you? University isn´t the right place and we always have a job for such a brilliant researcher like you." he looked at her quite concerned.  
  
Life at University was hard, since everyone seemed to think her good grades and her stipendium were given to her, because of her close relationship to Harry. Plus she was muggleborn. It wasn´t that they treated her espescially rude, but they made sure she never forgot what they thought of her. Fred´s and Ron´s offer that she as a potions student should join their team as a researcher was tempting, but unwise. It made her dependent without a real title and she wanted to learn much more before working for the rest of her life. And she planned to end her law studies with a work about the legal statues of non-humans in the wizarding world. S.P.E.W. would change the world, eventually. "Thanks Fred, I´ll get back to that once I´m finnished. Just wait a little while longer, will you? Hey you!" she shouted to the waiter, who didn´t mind her rudeness as it was the only way to get his attention. "Bring us four double vodka magics, will you?! Thanks."  
  
A few drinks later Hermione was crying on Freds shoulder, he patted her lightly on the shoulder and tried to calm her.  
  
"Hush, Mione. They can´t hold you down, you´re too brilliant for that. It´s alright, really."  
  
"Bu..but you are are all so su successful and I haven´t even accomplished half of what I could have done. I.. I.. ju..st can´t get into the courses, no matter how early I am. They.. I .. murder..." she sobbed in a heartbreaking way.  
  
Fred was trying to comfort her, but he really had no idea how. His overworked brain was not really able to come up with a proper solution and that he was drunk didn´t help either. She looked at him with her watery eyes, and reminded him a bit of Moaning Myrtle. He patted her gently on the back and hoped that unconsciousness would take either him or Hermione.  
  
**************************************************************************** **************  
  
The waking up was as usual a painful and exhausting business. Even more straining was the strive for memory, as it had left her about 12 o´clock. Had they tested any of his new devices? She hoped not, but since she seemed to have gotten home safely, probably not.  
  
As the nausea left her enough to lift her head and look around she realized that the huge four poster Hogwarts esque bed was not hers. The fact that her clothes were lying across the whole room and she therefore was almost naked did not help her memory in the least. To her left snored happily a slightly drooling Fred Weasley, whose skin looked a bit grey-greenish. She hit him to wake him up, but was trying to do it silently since sounds were risking giving her a huge headache.  
  
"Hey Fred." He woke up and groaned loudly. Then he realized that the sound was no good to him and his companion. "What did we do last night? Do you still remember?" "Mmhh, you were crying your heart out, while piss drunk. I had to take you with me, since I didn´t remember where you lived. I had trouble finding my home, actually."  
  
Great. So she had whined about her life all night long and couldn´t even remember what she had been telling. Awful behaviour she despised in everyone else.  
  
"Oh" an embarassing silence settled between the two. After three minutes of fighting her headache and bad previsions she asked:  
  
"What did we, I mean what did I tell you?"  
  
"That you had trouble in University, that you sometimes feel ugly because you haven´t had a date in months. You try but you don´t get any credit for you work whatsoever and that this feeling is getting to you." "Oh, so I just did a little soulstrip in front of you. I´m sorry, I never meant to. It´s just that... things are...difficult." Hermione suddenly bore a remarkably resemblance to a tomato.  
  
"That´s what friends are for. I´m glad if I can help you. No reason to be ashamed, better to talk about it than to throw yourself off the next bridge."  
  
"Why are we in the same bed? Your house surely does have a couch or something." Hermione´s brain was again working and their sleeping arrangements struck her as a bit unusual.  
  
"I was very drunk and I think I tried to take advantage. I don´t know, as I was as if not drunker than you. " "Oh.And did....?" "What? Oh, no. No, we probably fell asleep." "But this incident is not influencing our friendship, yes? We´re above that" "Yes we are. We just have to be a bit more careful. "  
  
Hermione hugged Fred in a very friendshiply way, then left to find an anti- hangover potion and a shower.  
  
**************************************************************************** **************  
  
A few hours later Hermione stepped in the store of Paravender, where she was greeted by a very happy and entusiastic Parvati that stood in an absolute designerish store. Which meant there were no clothes to be seen.  
  
"Oh, dear, how nice of you to take the time. You look fabulous, really!"  
  
"Hi Parvati. You are a very good liar, I han´t slept more than 4 hours and that´s just exactly the way I look. You on the contrary truly look fabulous, how did you accomplish the colour of your hair?"  
  
Parvati´s head seemed to sparkle and shine, the hair illumed her like a halo. She could have played a saint anytime with it. The colour was hard to describe, somewhere between bloodred and bottlegreen maybe. Her dress seemed to match it very well, it was the same robe-dress thing cut that Pansy wore yesterday.  
  
"Oh, yes. That was quite adventerous, but it´ll pass. Now, I have exactly what you need. Lavender is very sorry, but she had to meet with a very important business partner and says that next time she´ll have loads of time just for you" She cried as she vanished through a red-blackish door. The store itself was very fashionable with white walls and black yellow striped curtains everywhere, but unfortunatly also very ugly. But nobody listens to the voice of reason in fashions and nobody would have listened to Hermione anyway.  
  
"Look dear, isn´t it fabulous? Isn´t it wonderful? Isn´t the greates dress in the world?"  
  
Parvati was the Queen of overstatements, but the dress was beautifull. It was a very deep blue with a slit to her hip, which was not quite Hermione´s style.  
  
"How.. Why... Parvati I cannot possibly wear it. It´s too showy for me."  
  
And half an hour later Hermione knew exactly why Parvati and Lavender were so successful. While she stood at the table with Parvati, who gave her a generous 25% discount , and payed for the same exact dress, feeling slightly ripped off. Just at what time had the exact moment been when her denial had changed? When she tried it on? When she saw herself in the mirror? When she heard Parvati´s praise?  
  
"Thank you, Hermione. It´s always a pleasure with you, you give me always the artistic freedom I need. Now, let´s see to your hair."  
  
Artistic freedom! Hermione almost snorted in disgust, thought elsewise and asked Parvati nonchalantly:  
  
"So, anything new in the world of the rich and the bold? I have to be up to date tonight, you know?"  
  
While Parvati was totally absorbed in her hair, but she almost drowned Hermione in the endless flow of information. She tried to memorize it, for the lack of knowledge had also made for quite a few embarassing scenes. How could she possibly know that the husband of so and so went out with some model? How was she supposed to know that this was the wife of him?  
  
".. and Draco Malfoy, or heart ripper as we call him after the worst breakup this year, is now going to study law to ripp other people better off, the git, but oh my doesn´t he look hot, I would go for him if not for Pansy, who is one of my best costumers...."  
  
Damn. Not law. Not when she was studying that. Not now. Quite a few four- letter words came to her mind and she thought about the possibilities. She would see him, since she hadn´t managed to complete at least half of the first part. And he would get into all the courses with no trouble at all. The pureblooded ferret. Oh and never forget the endless remarks about how she had failed without Harry or Ron.  
  
"Hey you´re done! And this time you truly look fabulous. Terrific! Marvelous!"  
  
Hermione looked in the mirror and as every time barely reckognized herself. Her hair was for once neat and shiny, but not too straight. It was perfect and it did match the dress, because it was not overdone or ugly. Which was lucky if you thought about anything in fashion terms.  
  
"Thanks Parvati, I would commit social suicide over and over without you. When I make a fool of myself next time at least I´ll look good!"  
  
"Oh dear, you´ll be the star! I swear it. You look so wonderful, it´s a shame that you don´t dress up more often!"  
  
Hermione hugged Parvati nearly suffocating her and feeling really thankful. With people like her she would manage any social event without trouble.  
  
A/N: Now, what will happen? Coming up: Ron´s party and why you should not talk on toilets. Liked it ? Want more? Either find out my address and send me loads of money ( to all copyrighters: this is a joke, right? yes, there you go.) or and now listen up you can SAVE MONEY when you REVIEW! So, some things are for free, isn´t that fabulous? 


	4. Hogwarts reunited?

A/N: Sorry that it took me sooo long, but I had a lot to do and was away over the weekend. But here it is, and I hope you like (or love, the choice is yours) it! Have fun. Thanks to all my reviewers, you guys rock. Did I ever mention that I love long reviews? No? I do!! (thanks Cotton Candy, I loved it!)  
  
"It´s so nice that you could come. Oh my, where did you get that dress? Feeling a bit lonley, maybe?" Ron hugged Hermione in a rather suffocating way. She pried herself away carefully and answered a bit indignatly. "Glad that you like it, but I truly do hope it doesn´t look that desperate. Yes, I´m single but it´s my own choice! Besides, Ginny talked me into it over an hour." Hermione answered, feeling hotness creeping into her face. So what, if she looked nice once in a while?!  
  
"Hey little sister. Glad that you could come and survived the festivities after the Newts. So how do you like it? " he gestured at the room.  
  
Hermione surveyed it carfully, it´s glass roof showed a beautifull clear sky full of stars reminding her strongly of the astronomy tower. Combined with the most beautiful view over London possible, the light decoration fit in in a very sophisticated and elegant way.  
  
"What on earth posessed you to make the tables invisible?" Ginny interrupted her thoughts. "Are you mad or something? How are we supposed to eat?"  
  
Ron´s ears turned slightly pink and he answered her remark with something that sounded very close to "Ithought itwaswella rathernice idea. "  
  
Hermione felt obliged to interfere, she wanted a nice evening and Ron and Ginny fighting was not her idea of said. "I think the idea is brilliant. Some very rich and stuck up people will be entertaining us tonight because of them, what more can you ask for? Did you use the inviseus charm? I love the book by Roberta Neelkins about it, you know it?" Her effort of distracting them was successful as both Ron´s and Ginny´s face went blank. At least they considered her to be the good old know it all. She would have never thought that she would miss that label one day.  
  
"I don´t know, you have to ask my assistent about it. Guess who´s here tonight? Draco Malfoy." He exclaimed in a feeble attempt of sounding cheerful, but the look on his face indicated he thought it better to suffer from a very serious and painful malady.  
  
His facial expression mirrored Hermione´s feelings, who didn´t want to become the victim of his cutting remarks in this dress. She had put it on in the knowledge that she wouldn´t meet anyone espescially hostile against her, so that the mean comments about her supposedly desperate state were kept at a minimum.  
  
"Why on earth did you invite ferret boy? Couldn´t you get your hands on any real ones, if you needed them that urgently ? I mean you got your own assistant and all, so I don´t think it would have been a real problem now, wouldn´t it?" she said, voicing her dissappointment.  
  
"Hell, there was no way not to invite him. We are negotiating, you know. Very important business, very much at stake. But I´d rather see his rotting corpse in Nockturn Ally than here, truth to be told."  
  
"Glad that your opinions are still healthy, even if your actions seem a bit mental, brother. "  
  
Ron glared at his quarrelsome little sister and seemed to exclude her mentally from his vip list, but Hermione reacted immediatly.  
  
"Ah, hey Gin I have to go to the loo. See you later Ron, bye," with that she dragged the younger Weasley away. Carefully the two made their way through the crowds, and Hermione was glad that Ron had had the sense to rope the dining area off. She regretted that she wouldn´t be able to eat tonight, but it seemed to risky to sit at one of those tables.  
  
Ron´s bathrooms were as impressive as his fridge, they gleamed and shined and some were charmed quite charmingly. As soon as she had finnished her witty and eloquent thoughts they reached the bathroom doors.  
  
She looked critically into the mirror and observed her look. Her hair fell in soft waves down her back, thanks to Parvati it seemed very shiny and healthy. She felt once again a rush of joy when she realized that no ugly golden/yellow highlights interrupted the beautiful unity of dark brown colour and prided herself once more of resisting the horrible muggle influenced hair dresser in Diagon Ally. The dress was as revealing as yesterday, but at least it fit the shoes niceley.  
  
Ginny looked good as usual, wearing a short green dress with her fiery hair cut to shoulder length, with light green pearls woven into it. The dress seemed to emphasize her legs, although it was nowhere as daring as Hermione´s.  
  
She and Ginny vanished simultaneously into the cabins and Hermione began to tell her about yesterday´s most unusual visit.  
  
"Guess who was here yesterday? ... "  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
Why had he been so dumb to come here? This was a Weasley party, Merlin´s beard what had he been thinking? Sure, some women did look hot, but this was no reason for any Malfoy, least of all Draco to visit a Weasley. Some family traditions did make sense after all. Draco´s already foul and stinking mood worsened with every minute. The negotiations did not go as easy as he had expected, and that he did not find the loo did not help him.  
  
He had already opened too much doors, gaining an insight in Ron´s living arrangements he did not appreciate, and he swore that this was his last try. He breathed in heavily and then opened the door.  
  
He saw the sinks cleary identifying a loo, when he heard familiar voices. Was it Hermione Granger speaking while she was "doing business"? As quiet as possible he shut the door and listened to the conversation.  
  
"Allright, so I have Pansy Parkinson in my kitchen and I find myself listening about her break-up with Draco Malfoy. So she wants revenge I think, that´s very understandable, contemplating his vile behavement. And now listen to her plan: She wanted me to seduce Draco Malfoy!!!"  
  
"No, she didn´t. You´re kidding me, don´t you?" squealed a second voice, also vaguely familiar.  
  
"Oh my, you have no idea. She offered me very good payment, rambling about how pretty I am and my brains and Os and stuff. Ruining him emotionally and financially or some ..."  
  
They spoke about seducing him. HIM??!!  
  
"Sir? Sorry, but why are you on the ladie´s toilette?" the voices died down immediatly and Draco was stared at by an elderly witch, who looked rather embarrassed and on the verge of anger.  
  
Without another word he pushed past her out into the crowds, not knowing what to think. Hermione Granger seducing him? Draco Malfoy? To what had the world come to? The end had to be nigh, if that happened . He turned round carefully to observe the bathroom´s door. Had that been really her?  
  
No, he thought on first impulse as he watched the attractive women coming out of the door, looking around anxiously. That dress was way beyond Grangers capability, it showed the whole length of a leg ( a nice leg, to be exact) and it had a rather low cut neck line. After all he had seen the mudblood a few times at Spellcraft and she hadn´t looked anything like this. Like stunning or beautiful. Or pretty even. But she definitly seemed familiar and his doubts did vanish when he saw the girl following her. Ginny Weasley and Hermione Granger had discussed seducing him on the loo. Trying to deal with the shock (and shocked he was, when had the hunter become the prey?) he grabbed a glass of a strange substance and gulped it down, breaking his oath of not drinking unknown substances.  
  
Had she dressed up like that for him? Looking closer at the dress` cut it seemed to scream Pansy´s handwriting at him. So the little mudblood was trying to mess with him, was she? Ruin him, would she? Now, he wanted to see who would get more fun out of it.  
  
Draco strolled over to where Granger was standing with the younges Weasley brat and some business bloke, looking sexy and sophisticated. Yes, he was not ashamed of his admiring, he had made a strict rule of being honest at least to himself. You could not deceive everyone, now could you?  
  
"Hey Granger, long time no see, eh?" he drawled in his best sexy and dangerous voice. She turned around sharply and to his surprise she eyed him suspisciously.  
  
"What do you want ferret boy? Not enough mudbloods around to bully or what? Did you have to come back to good old me?"  
  
Her eyes held a dangerous light he had learned to recognize over the years. Leaning a little closer he started a new attempt. Since when was a Malfoy intimidated by a mudblood?  
  
"Hey, calm down. You know what they say ´bout love ´n hate? Both make for good sex, you know. I thought you´d fancy a ´talk´ with me?" he smirked, stressing the word talk in suggestive way. Yes, women were definitly his department, he thought in the typically modest Malfoy way.  
  
"Malfoy, are you hitting on me? At Ronald Weasley´s party?" she asked incredolously.  
  
"'What if I was?" he said, while inching a bit closer to her. She glared up to him, sparks of fury in her eyes. He ignored them and tried to grab her hand draggging her over to the spacious dancefloor.  
  
"You think you are irrestistable, don´t you? You think you can make fun of me and get away with it, you little slimy ferret. You think you truly are the crown of creation, don´t you?" she hissed furiously, trying to wrench her hand free.  
  
Ferret? How dare her to call him ferret twice! There he was, making it as easy for her to fullfill Pansy´s request and she insulted him. HIM!  
  
"Now, you listen, mudblood." he sneered, a dangerous glint in his eyes. He squeezed her hand painfully. "Calling me once ferret is stupid, but I overlooked it in memorial of Hogwarts, the good old times, yadda yadda. Twice requires a level of foolishness, I didn´t think you of all women would be capable of. But then everyone at Spellcraft knows about your failure without Potty or Weasel. They know how got your good grades in Hogwarts."  
  
Hermione jerked her hand away angrily, her expression full of rage. She did not look in the least cute or beautiful, more threatening than ever Draco noticed through his angered red vision.  
  
"Now you listen. Don´t call me mudblood. Ever. Again. I thought you learned it in Hogwarts the hard way, but you are so thick that probably another lesson is needed. You are not the crown of creation, but the crown of thousands of years of inbreeding. You are speaking about me not earning my stipendium, whereas you bribed your way into every bloody institution available! You and your inbred family."  
  
"Watch your mouth you little mudblood, don´t insult family honour." "Honour?" Hermione laughed bitterly. "Honour? You dare speak about the honour of your family? You that are the shame of the Malfoy family? Do you have any idea how frightened and shocked Narcissa must have been when she realized she had given birth to a ferret? They should have been a bit more carefull with their dark magic around your mom, shouldn´t they? At least you have an excuse whenever you behave like a spoiled asshole, sorry but me mum and her lil´circle of death EATERS OVERDID IT SOMETIMES TAKE A LITTLE MONEY AND FORGET ABOUT IT!!!!!!! "  
  
"YOU DARE SPEAKING THIS WAY ABOUT MY MOTHER? YOU, WHO IS NOT ABLE TO MANAGE EVEN A SINGLE SEMESTER IN YOUR STUDIES? YOU ARE SUCH A LOSER WITHOUT YOUR FRIENDS, YOU ARE NOT EVEN ABLE TO GET A DATE WITHOUT DRESSING UP AS A WHORE!"  
  
"ALLRIGHT MALFOY THAT`S IT. I cannot stand by and listen to you insulting my guests. Leave the house immediatly or I´ll have to call the security."  
  
Draco saw Weasley´s lips moving, but he wasn´t able to grasp the sense of his words immediatly. He stared at his hands unbelievingly, looking at his wand that was raised in a dueling manner. When had he lost controll over himself? How come the mudblood was getting so much under his skin?  
  
He raised his head and realized all conversation had come to a halt, every single person was staring at him and the mudblood. She had disgraced him in front of his business partners and had shattered the deal with the Weasleys by talking to him once. Parvati´s plan seemed to work, but Hermione Granger had just acquired a new old enemy. A dangerous one, he would make sure of that.  
  
The witch in front of him stared at him defiantly, also clutching a wand in her fist. "You´ll regret that Draco Malfoy, I swear." she whispered, her eyes throwing daggers.  
  
She dared to threaten him? After all that had just happened she threatened him?  
  
"I wouldn´t be too sure about who regrets something in the end. I´d rather leave this country, because when I´m finnished with you, you won´t be able to do that anymore. "  
  
He pushed past her, knocking her to the floor. At least he was stronger than her and he trusted the Gryffindor codex to keep her from hexing him in the back.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
"Stupe--" she felt how her wand was wrenched out of her hand. Still furious she sat up, looking at a very dishleveled and red Ron.  
  
"Don´t you hex him in the back, it´s already bad enough. You have just managed to blow our deal, make a fool out of yourself once more, again at my party. Tell me one reason I don´t throw you out this instant!"  
  
"Pansy Parkinson." Ron looked truly surprised and Hermione hurriedly stood up while glaring at the people around her, willing them to carry on with their own lifes.  
  
"I can´t tell you here, could we talk in private? It´s not meant to be heard by everyone."  
  
Ron turned at his heel without another look and she followed him up into his study.  
  
"You have thirty seconds, and if I don´t like your idea you have to work for me for free all your holidays and you´ll be forever banned from any social events I´ll host!"  
  
Damn, she was in deep shit this time. Oh good old Hogwarts days when all Malfoys were evil and everything one did against them worshippable.  
  
"Ok, Pansy and Malfoy have split up, as you may have noticed. He really landed her in trouble with Parkinvest, as you may have heard. So, she wanted me to take revenge on him, with a stupid plan I´ll not explain to you in detail. Anyway I advized her to try to restore Parkinvest, but she had no investors or money left. I promised to help, to be exact I promised her one meeting with you."  
  
"And in what way is this helping me? Malfoy´s lost to me, maybe forever and I have no one to turn to concerning a very special matter,"  
  
"Yes, that special matter. I know from my vast and knowledgeable sources that you and your brothers plan to get into the asian market with Malfoy´s help."  
  
"Fred and his big mouth, why can´t he just for once keep quiet?"  
  
"Never said that, ok? I strongly believe that Parkinvest has the things you seek, so Pansy would help you out if you´d help her. I just want you to meet once, listen to her and then decide.Ok?"  
  
"I don´t have much of a choice now, have I? One meeting on my terms, and to hell with you both if she gives me her usual shit. Understood?"  
  
"Am I somewhat vindicated? Enough to stay and get properly drunk?" No hurt in trying, she thought while looking hopefully at Ron. Who grinned at her and gave her a hug.  
  
"I know you have a really hard time at university and Malfoy always has had a talent to find your weak spot, but please don´t kill my guests next time, yes? In a few years you´ll look back and laugh at this, ok?"  
  
"Thanks Ron, I appreciate that very much. By the way where is Harry?" Coming to think of it, she hadn´t seen him the whole evening, but then the whole evening had not been very long.  
  
"He´s just arrived in the middle of your little fight. I suppose he is now downstairs and trying to get drunk properly."  
  
"Ok, I´ll go and see him in a minute, but could I borrow Pig for a little while?"  
  
"Of course, but I have to go and attend my guests. Somebody dropped the soup at Gretta Smith´s dress during the fight I think..."  
  
"Go ahead, I´ll find him."  
  
She scribbled a note at a piece of parchment:  
  
Pansy,  
  
Ron has agreed to a meeting, check your asian connections. Does your offer concerning Malfoy still stand? I´ll make his life a living hell, provided you help me.  
  
Hermione  
  
She enjoyed the look of Pig vanishing into the cool night, then turned round and joined the party again.  
  
**************************************************************************  
  
A/N: So, my ( if only, if only!) protagonists have finally met each other. And again have found their carefully kept hate. What will happen? I know, you don´t! What does this tell us? The more you review the sooner you´ll know. Common!! DO IT! YES, there you go. 


End file.
